The final two days of January! What the actual heck is that all about. On the plus side, it means the days are getting longer and I am getting closer to having some decent time off work. On the less plus side, I seem to recall that Christmas was only yesterday so I appear to have entered some kind of weird time slip that has put everything on fast forward … Far from feeling that January has been too long, it feels not long enough for me and I can’t believe that from Wednesday I am sharing February reviews and am halfway through reading March books. Stop the clock world – let’s have a breather, huh? I did, in spite of apparent time travel, find time for a bit of a walk over the weekend and have been able to (more or less) stick to my diet for another week, so bonus. If I could only lose weight as quickly as time, I’d be dandy.
Funny old book week this one. My only book post was for Mandie (Paris Requiem by Chris Lloyd, courtesy of Orion), not me so nothing to report there. I didn’t order any books from Amazon or any other retailer. No new Netgalley books or e-arcs either so that pretty much sums the week up, lol. I even went into a bricks and mortar bookshop on Friday and walked out empty handed. I might actually be ill … Probably not a bad thing as my to be read pile already takes up three or four square metres of space so …
Books I have read
NO MORE LIES
It would be unfair to blame the woman I met tonight for turning my life upside down. She didn’t. It was already upside down. I just didn’t know it.
Recently life has been good for Mallory Hansen: a great job, a lovely home, and a wonderful man, Nathan, to share it with.
But now she must ask herself: is it all built on lies?
A shocking accusation has been made against Nathan, and Mallory doesn’t know who to believe. He denies everything, but all the signs point to his guilt. She has learned to trust Nathan, but she also remembers the boy he used to be.
As teenagers, Mallory and Nathan were part of a close-knit group of six friends until a vicious argument drove them apart. Now, fifteen years later, they are back in touch – only to find themselves drawn into a web of mutual distrust, one by one…
The attacks on their lives are skilfully targeted, designed to hit them where they hurt the most, and when a young woman disappears and a baby is abducted, DCI Tom Douglas must try to unravel the past and discover who is the architect of their misery.
The Real Prime Suspect by Jackie Malton & Hélène Mulholland
When Jackie Malton joined the police force in 1970, male recruits were given a truncheon and female recruits were given a handbag. At every step, she fought sexism and homophobia on top of the rapists, murderers, and armed robbers she tackled in the streets. And when she was harassed by her own colleagues for reporting bent coppers, Jackie was thrown into a shame and isolation that she tried to dim with alcohol. At the height of her success, as she became one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Met, and as a chance meeting with the writer Lynda La Plante catapulted her into the world of TV, Jackie was battling her own demons harder than ever before.
In this thrilling and revealing memoir, meet the real woman behind the iconic character Jane Tennison - every bit as tenacious, determined, and fearless, with an extraordinary story to tell.
Nine hostages. Ten hours. One chance to save them all.
Lee James Connor has found his purpose in life: to follow the teachings of far-right extremist leader, Nicholas Farmer. So when his idol is jailed, he comes up with the perfect plan: take a local immigrant support group hostage until Farmer is released.
Grace Wheatley is no stranger to loneliness having weathered the passing of her husband, whilst being left to raise her son alone. The local support group is her only source of comfort. Until the day Lee James Connor walks in and threatens the existence of everything she’s ever known.
Superintendent Alex Lewis may be one of the most experienced hostage negotiators on the force, but there’s no such thing as a perfect record. Still haunted by his last case, can he connect with Connor – and save his nine hostages – before it’s too late?
Force of Hate by Graham Barlett
When a firebomb attack at a Brighton travellers’ site kills women and children, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe has strong reason to believe the new, dubiously elected, far-right council leader is behind the murders.
Against the direct orders of her chief constable, Jo digs deeper into the killings. She uncovers a criminal ring of human trafficking and euthanasia all leading to a devastating plot which threatens thousands of lives and from which the murderous politician looks sure to walk away scot-free.
Not too bad – I’ve made up for in reading what I failed to do in buying books. Which technically means I have made inroads to my mount TBR so win-win. Busy enough week on the blog – recap below:
#Review – A Womb With A View – Mark Tilbury
#Review – The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels – Janice Hallett
#Review – My Father’s House – Joseph O’Connor
#Review – The Blood Line – Will Shindler
#Review – The Moose Paradox – Antti Tuomainen
A few blog tours this week. Mandie will be taking a look at The Girl In The Photo by Catherine Hokin tomorrow whilst I share my thoughts on A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle. And on Wednesday I will be sharing my review of the brilliant The Forcing by Paul E. Hardisty.
So that is my week in a nutshell. Hazelnut this week. Maybe even pistachio. Teeny-tiny, nothing much happening kind of a time.
Happy reading all. See you next week.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 